Is joint physical custody always best for kids?

If you and your husband or wife are getting divorced and trying to work out arrangements for your joint children, you will have many decisions to make regarding custody. Some decisions may be made by you and your former spouse and others may be made by the court depending upon the situation. The philosophy of sharing custody between both parents has become more popular but is that always the best thing?

Psychology Today explains that there are pros and cons to joint physical custody. On the pro side, your kids get to spend a good amount of time with both parents. This clearly goes a long way toward them maintaining good relationships with you and their other parent. However, there are some challenges involved with joint physical custody.

When kids must live in two places, they are forced to encounter more transitions back and forth. This can be difficult, especially for children that struggle with change more than others. The logistics involved can be complex for children and parents alike. These include time involved for commuting or issues that arise when things are forgotten at one home. Joint physical custody may sometimes also be used as a way of reducing the amount of child support to be paid by one parent.

If you are going to share physical custody, you should make the commitment to cooperate well with your ex-spouse. You may even consider getting duplicates of some school or other items to reduce the stress that can arise from transporting multiple items from one home to the other. This information is not intended to provide legal advice but general information about joint physical custody of children in Illinois.

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